“Home Depot forces its assistant managers and manager trainees to work more than 55 hours a week without overtime pay, according to a class action in Cook County Court.
Three named plaintiffs say Home Depot fires assistant managers or cuts their pay if they do not work at 11-hour shifts five days a week, and misclassifies assistant managers as exempt from overtime pay. This saves Home Depot “millions of dollars in employee compensation,” but happens to be illegal, the class claims. ”
“Home Depot refused to pay “thousands” of rebates it offered, of up to $1,000 apiece, or shortchanged customers after the administrator of the rebate programs declared bankruptcy, a class action claims in Federal Court.
Named plaintiff Loretta Alkalay says the store has not paid her $1,000 rebate for special order kitchen countertops and major appliances (“the Kraftmaid/Thomasville Rebate Offer”).”
According to George Gombossy who tracks consumer complaints for the Hartford Courant, dozens of consumers have complained to him that stores like Home Depot and Wal-Mart have refused to include state sale tax on returned items. I’m not clear if this applies to every state but in Connecticut at least its illegal to withhold state sales tax from returns. I’m watching out for this issue as the next hot area for retail class actions.
Reading Tea Leaves by Randy Wilson 